White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Recipe
by Sommer Collier — on Apr 13, 2026 My white chocolate macadamia nut cookie recipe is the perfect bakery-style treat I love making for friends and family. These cookies are just as easy as classic chocolate chip cookies, but bake up soft, lightly chewy, and loaded with sweet white chocolate chips and crunchy macadamia nuts. I prefer a lighter, crisp-chewy texture, but you can easily make them thicker while keeping them perfectly soft.
Not to brag about my cookie-making skills, but… Well, wait. Never mind, I absolutely want to brag! Because I’ve spent many years testing and perfecting my cookie recipes, like my classic sugar cookie recipe, that always get rave reviews. While recipe development is a labor of love, making cookies is actually super easy once you know what you’re doing. And speaking of love, today I’m sharing with you my son Carson’s favorite white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. They are just as simple to mix up and bake as any other chunky cookie recipe, but these soft and chewy cookies studded with macadamia nuts include more “high end” ingredients for an extra special treat!
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Next Level Cookies – White chocolate chips are known and loved for their extra-sweet, buttery flavor. Combine them with rich, crunchy, and luxurious macadamia nuts, and you get one impressive cookie that is decidedly decadent. Let’s be honest, macadamia nuts can be pricey… But I believe these cookies are totally worth it!
Customizable – I might be a bit biased, but I think this is the best macadamia nut cookie recipe. However, I wouldn’t be mad at you if you decide to mix things up and make them your favorite cookies! You can swap some of the white chocolate chips for dark chocolate chips, or swap them all for semisweet. You can also reduce or increase the number of batches to make however many cookies you need.
My Top Tips – I’m sharing with you the perfect ratio of ingredients and step-by-step instructions to get just the right balance of flavors and a perfectly soft, chewy, and lightly crisp cookie texture. So there’s no guesswork here. Because when you take the time to bake, you definitely want to get everything right the first time!
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Dry ingredients – I use a combination of all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. The cornstarch is what makes the soft cookies, still have some chewiness, and is my tried-and-true way to get the perfect cookie texture, every time!
- Sugars – These cookies use both light brown sugar and white sugar. The blend of the deeper, molasses-y brown sugar and sweet granulated sugar gives the macadamia nut cookies a warm and not overly sweet taste.
- Eggs – I use large eggs. Cold eggs can mess up the baking time, so I set them on the counter 15-20 minutes before using, so they get slightly to room temperature.
- Butter – I always suggest using softened unsalted butter, so then I have total control over how much salt is in the recipe. You can also brown and cool the butter first, as I do in my brown butter sugar cookies, to get a warmer flavor that works well with the brown sugar.
- White chocolate chips and macadamia nuts – I suggest useing white chocolate chips that don’t have a ton of extra oils or other additives. And you should use macadamia nuts that are toasted but not salted, if possible.
How to Make
Find the full ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Prep – First, I set the butter on the counter to soften. Then I preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, I line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set the eggs on the counter to come to room temperature.
Cream Butter and Sugars – Once the butter is soft, I add it to the bowl of a standing mixer along with the granulated white sugar and brown sugar. Turn the mixer to high and cream the butter and sugar together for at least 3 minutes, until fluffy and almost frosting-like. Trust me, this makes all the difference in the texture of the cookies.
Combine Dry Ingredients – Now I add all of the dried ingredients – flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt – to a separate medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk those together so they’re evenly combined. No one wants to bite into a clump of baking soda in a cookie!
Mix it Up – When the butter and sugars are creamed together, I scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Then I reduce the speed to low, and beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Next, I add the flour mixture to the bowl, just 1/4 cup or so at a time. Let the flour blend a bit into the wet ingredients before adding the next scoop, so you don’t get clumps of dry ingredients in the cookies. Once the dough is smooth, and with the mixer speed still on low, I slowly add the chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts. Continue to mix for only a minute or so, and not a moment longer, just until the chips and nuts are worked evenly through the dough. If you mix much longer, the dough can get tough.
Scoop and Roll – Now I work quickly and use a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie dough scooper to scoop (good name, huh?) a portion of dough. I use my clean hands to lightly roll and shape the scooped dough into balls, then place them on the baking sheet, about 2 inches, or so, apart. This gives them enough room to spread out a bit, but still allows you to fit a dozen cookies on the sheet.
Bake – Into the oven the cookie sheets go! I set the timer for 11 minutes, while keeping a close watch to make sure the cookies don’t overbake. Then I take them out as soon as the edges of the cookies start to look firm and slightly golden brown. They won’t look entirely done, but don’t worry, the macadamia nut cookies will continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet.
Expert Tips
- Best butter – I want the butter to be softened so that it creams easily with the sugar, but is not so soft that it practically melts. If the butter is too warm it runs the risk of “bleeding,” which is just an ick way of saying the butter runs out as the cookies bake.
- Thicker cookies – These cookies come out soft, chewy, and somewhat thin. For thicker cookies, chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes before scooping and rolling. Then bake for 13 to 14 minutes.
- Don’t over-mix – I take care to mix the dough only until the ingredients are incorporated, and not a moment longer. Overworking cookie dough will result in overly chewy and dense cookies. Which is basically the exact opposite of what we want in buttery soft cookies.
- Don’t over-bake – Similarly, it’s essential for the best cookies that you don’t over-bake them. They really should look slightly underdone when you pull them out of the oven… Not, like raw and goopy, but still quite soft with the edges just firm.
Storage Notes
I store homemade cookies in an airtight container and keep them on the counter for up to 1 week. However, they tend to only last a few days in our house. When I bring them to parties or share them at gatherings, these cookies are gone almost immediately! PS, I often freeze these little guys for up to three months. Then thaw them on the counters an hour before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most macadamia nuts you buy at the store are already roasted. So there’s no need to roast them again before baking. But a reminder from the ingredients notes above, you don’t want roasted and salted nuts, or you’ll wind up with cookies that are overly salty.
Flat cookies are usually the result of a) the butter being too soft or b) the dough being overworked in the mixer. Follow my instructions, and you’re sure to bake up soft cookies that are just thick enough, without being too thick. (But again, in the recipe notes, I do have a tip for making cookies that are slightly thicker, if that’s your jam!)
Nope! Like my salted chocolate chip cookies, this recipe does not require chilling the dough first – although, you do need to work quickly. But you absolutely can chill it if you prefer, as noted in the Expert Tips above and recipe card below.
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More Cookie Recipes
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups macadamia nuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Set out a mixing bowl and an electric mixer. In the stand mixer, combine the softened butter with the white sugar and brown sugar. Cream on high for 3-5 minutes, until the butter is light and fluffy.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Mix well, making sure there are no clumps.
- Once the butter and sugar mixture is very fluffy, scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Then turn the mixer on low and beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly add in the flour mixture until the cookie dough is smooth. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula again. Then turn on low and mix in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. As soon as the chips and nuts are evenly dispersed, turn off the mixer as to not over-mix the dough.
- Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the cookies into balls. Loosely roll the dough balls and set them on the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 11-13 minutes until just barely golden around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets before moving.
